Abigail E – Wheelbarrow Boat, More Freeboard

This last weekend was a busy one, I took “Rachel” out with a friend and we caught two spring salmon – 1) 30 pounder and 1) 8 pounder and 1) 10 pound Steelhead. The best part, it was sunny and beautiful out on the Lower Columbia river. There’s lots of run off this year, the mountains are full of snow and the Columbia river is at flood stage so the water is a little off color.

Anyway, I started another boat. The plan is from Harry’s Wheelbarrow boat but I have made a few changes to it. Here are the reasons for these changes. Harry’s plans call for two strakes, this boat is great for one adult and one grand child or just one adult. When my wife and I are both aboard we only have about 4″ of freeboard. I am just short of 200 pounds and my wife is just short of 135 pounds. Needless to say she is still looking very good, and I look like an old fart that’s pushing 60. Jody and I plan to trailer “Rachel” to Port Townsend, WA this summer and spend a week or so cruising the San Juan and the Gulf Islands then plan to show “Rachel” at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

When cruising from Island to Island in this part of the world there are many Islands that not only don’t have dock access but also don’t have sandy beach access, for the most part the shorelines are rocky. To access the shoreline one needs to anchor off and make way to shore with a small tender. I love Harry’s Wheelbarrow boat design so I thought this would be the perfect tender for our Sam Devlin design Pelicano 18, but to tender in these water you need more freeboard to handle any type of chop or the slights amount of rough water. The changes consist of higher and wider fore and aft transoms and adding a third strake. Making these changes will not only create a slightly larger, 7′-5″ vs 7′ and gaining an extra 6″ of freeboard. This will also change your legs so they can be bent while rowing rather than sitting straight legged. Changing leg postion is pretty important when your over 50! So, “Abigail E” will be “Rachel’s” tender while cruising our beautiful NW Islands this summer.